California legal term
shotgun in California Criminal Law
Current through 2026 California legislative session
In California criminal law, “shotgun” is a term defined by statute rather than by its everyday meaning. Its statutory definition — quoted verbatim below — controls how the term is applied throughout the California criminal code.
What does “shotgun” mean in California criminal law?
“shotgun” means a weapon designed or redesigned, made or remade, and intended to be fired from the shoulder and designed or redesigned and made or remade to use the energy of the explosive in a fixed shotgun shell to fire through a smooth bore either a number of projectiles (ball shot) or a single projectile for each pull of the trigger. (Cal. Penal Code § 17190)
Statutes defining or using this term
Related terms in the same statutes
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.